Skopje, 28 July 2021 (MIA) – Two memorandums of understanding and an interstate agreement, which to a large extent facilitate the lives of people and the business community in the Western Balkans, will be signed at the Economic Forum for Regional Cooperation. North Macedonia’s Prime Minister Zoran Zaev, Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama and Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić will take part in the regional forum, held on Thursday in Skopje. The agreement on cooperation for protection and rescue from disasters in the Western Balkans and the memorandum of understanding facilitating import, export and movement of goods in the Western Balkans are the result of the initiative on advanced regional economic cooperation between North Macedonia, Serbia and Albania, briefed government sources. The two documents, according to the sources, will put into operation the initiative on improving conditions in connection to trade of goods and services as well as the initiative on cooperation of the countries involving protection and rescue from disasters. The memorandum of understanding facilitating import, export and movement of goods in the Western Balkans, say the government sources, is based on the readiness of the political leaderships of the three countries to strengthen mutual relations and understanding in an attempt to remove hurdles in cross border trade between the countries, contribute to improving economic cooperation and increasing the scope of mutual trade. The memo contains provisions to simplify the process for import, export and transit of goods, cooperation of customs bodies as well as provisions on food safety, veterinary and phytosanitary issues and free movement of industrial non-food items. Under the agreement on cooperation for disaster protection and rescue in the Western Balkans, the signatories regulate the framework of conditions for voluntary assistance in the event of disasters, including planning and taking measures for protection from natural disasters, floods, earthquakes, fires, environment pollution, disasters at ships, radiological threats, pandemics as well as industrial disasters, for informing each other about threats, outbreak and consequences from disasters, education and training of staff, such as protection and rescue units, sharing of scientific and technical data and other documents deemed relevant for protection from disasters and cooperation for production of rescue equipment and deployment of assistance. The third memorandum, according to the government, is considered vital for movement of the workforce in the region. The signatories will express their willingness to facilitate movement of people in order to secure easier access to the labor market, to cancel work permits, and simplify processes regarding issuance of temporary stay permits. This document reaffirms the pledge to apply the EU’s right to free movement of workers and to accelerate the process of integration into the EU’s single market. Zaev’s office in coordination with the offices of President Vučić and PM Rama, and in cooperation with the chambers of commerce from the region, are wrapping up final preparations for the economic forum in Skopje. The event brings together more than 300 companies alongside representatives of international institutions. The new name of the regional initiative, so far unofficially called “mini-Schengen”, will be unveiled at the forum, it has been announced.